This spring, Saatchi Yates presents a solo exhibition of American painter Peter Saul, organised in collaboration with his New York gallery, Venus Over Manhattan. Known for his bold colours and satirical style, Saul turns his attention to the art world itself, offering a critical and often humorous examination of the systems and personalities that shape it.
Spanning more than six decades, Saul’s career has produced around 800 paintings that blend elements of Cubism, Surrealism, and Expressionism. His work is often described as provocative, frequently combining cartoonish imagery with sharp social commentary. This exhibition brings together works from the 1960s to the present, offering an overview of Saul’s evolving critique of art, commerce, and the cultural forces around them.
In Bad Day at the Gallery (2023), Saul depicts three agitated art dealers in a tangle of limbs, paintings, and cash. One pins a dollar bill to the wall as though it were a prized artwork; another holds a hammer between his teeth. The scene is chaotic and exaggerated, using humour to highlight the intersections of money and art—a recurring theme in Saul’s work.
Woman Artist Painting Three Pictures at Once (2021) takes viewers into the studio, where a green-haired artist juggles three canvases, brushes flying from her hands, mouth, and even under her arm. Two male assistants struggle to keep up—one ducking under paint, the other caught mid-punch—offering a playful but pointed commentary on gender dynamics and the tropes of art history.
Saul’s work has long challenged the conventions of contemporary painting. While he emerged during the rise of Abstract Expressionism, Saul developed a distinct visual language, influenced by Surrealism and early Pop Art, that often takes aim at politics, social movements, and popular culture. His paintings are included in major international collections, such as the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam.
The decision to show Saul’s work at Saatchi Yates aligns with the gallery’s interest in presenting both emerging and established contemporary artists. Since its opening in Mayfair in 2020, and its subsequent move to St James’s, the gallery has developed a programme that brings together younger voices alongside artists with longstanding careers.
Peter Saul’s exhibition at Saatchi Yates invites viewers to reflect on the art world’s inner workings, from the commercial pressures that shape it to the myths that continue to circulate around artists themselves. With its combination of humour and critique, the show offers a timely and relevant look at the cultural landscape.
Peter Saul is currently on view at Saatchi Yates, St James’s, London, until June 9th.
